I made a promise to myself after I finished my final board exams. I would never study something seriously again unless I really enjoyed it. Sure, I had to do CPD1, but that didn’t mean I needed to suffer through a doctorate in financial statement disclosures unless I went truly insane and became fascinated by them.
If you’ve been reading my column for a minute, you’d know that I am completely fascinated by artificial intelligence. I’m curious how the technology will affect business and the world, and what that means for the future. I also love thinking about business. How to operate one effectively and even how to start one of my own that actually makes money.
So, more than ten years later, I’m doing the closest thing to serious education that I’ve done since becoming a Chartered Accountant. I applied and got accepted into the first cohort2 of MasterClass Executive, an AI-focused business education programme.
Not an easy feat I might add. Out of more than 29,000 applicants, only 705 were accepted. Just in case you didn’t think I was special, I present this as evidence.
We’re several weeks into this self-paced course, and I’m not just learning a lot. I’ve found the learning process to be motivating and challenging in the best way. Sometimes in a bad way too. I now have so many different ideas in my head that it’s hard to choose what to focus on.
Each lesson starts by introducing the concept. Then, in true MasterClass fashion (and my favourite part of any lesson), there’s a video with an incredible businessperson or scholar, or both. MasterClass has brought together household-name entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban and Gary Vaynerchuk. But also hugely accomplished people the average Joe may not have heard of.
One is Kevin Mayer (former CEO of TikTok and architect of Disney+) who has taught me to start thinking strategically about the things I do with my time. Another, my personal favourite so far, is Baroness Dambisa Moyo, a global economist, board director, bestselling author, and member of the House of Lords. She has a knack for making the workings of the economy seem so clear.
But the really exciting part is what happens next. As you are taken through the lesson in a chat format, you’re encouraged to immediately start applying the learning to what you are doing right now, in your current role. You are pushed to provide real examples and think about how the lesson impacts you. The AI will read your responses and try to determine whether you’re able to demonstrate your understanding, pushing you for a bit more if you’re not 100% there. This is the real game changer.
Never have I ever learnt something from a course and immediately started implementing it. As in straight off a live practical session, or an AI Lab as MasterClass calls it.
In the first few weeks I’ve taken these concepts and ideas and put them into practice at work. An AI Lab on data analytics had me building dashboards. Another had me developing metrics to measure success.
I’m sitting in meetings with IT experts who were asked by senior management to advise me on using AI, and somehow I’ve gone from being the person receiving the advice to challenging some of their thinking. #HumbleBrag, but for real!
I’m now thinking beyond today’s work and about what my function and workplace might look like in a few years. I’m even thinking about where to take some of my personal projects, including this column.
As I finish this column, I’m on my way home from Chicago after a weekend spent connecting, learning and debating with the cohort. In real life. More on that next week.
Learning from these smart people from around the world who aren’t afraid to ask tough questions has challenged me to think bigger, raised my expectations of what I can accomplish, and taught me to trust my gut more. I was not expecting my fellow cohort members to be so inspiring or that I would connect with them so easily, especially considering this is primarily an online learning environment.
I was a bit of a nerd at school. I loved school. I loved learning. Somewhere during my university years I lost that, and while I’ve remained curious and engaged, I haven’t found any formal learning that’s captured that feeling since I left high school. For the first time in a really long time, learning feels great again.
Continuous Professional Development - The ongoing process of tracking, documenting, and enhancing your skills, knowledge, and experience throughout your career beyond your initial training
Cohort - A group of people who share a common feature, such as age, a shared experience, or being part of the same team or class.